


In Between

by gleeksfreaksandwannabes



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Coming Out, I'm not sure what this is, M/M, alec is injured, lightwood brothers, magnus is doing his best, wise little brother max
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-13
Updated: 2016-11-13
Packaged: 2018-08-30 18:24:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8544250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gleeksfreaksandwannabes/pseuds/gleeksfreaksandwannabes
Summary: Alec wakes up in an in between world, and finds himself struggling to leave behind his baby brother to get home.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, so I'm not entirely sure what this is, which is why I had such an issue with the summary, but basically I love the Lightwood brothers and this just popped into my head, so enjoy!
> 
> My [tumblr](http://gleeksfreaksandwannabes.tumblr.com) is always open if you want to chat!

Alec awoke after what seemed like an eternity to a blinding whiteness surrounding him. The infirmary was his first guess, but as his vision came into focus he realized that there was nothing to focus on, no beds, no medication cabinets, nothing. 

He was also suddenly aware of the fact that he was lying on the ground, and made to get up, expecting to be overcome with pain from his injuries, but he felt nothing. Strange. He had taken quite the beating from a pair of demons on the mission, and the last thing he had remembered was a searing pain followed by coldness, surely he would have sustained some injuries. Alec looked down at his grey shirt to find that it was completely intact, and that the rest of his body was void of anything but old scars and runes.

"What the--?" Alec murmured, squinting into the whiteness, trying to pinpoint where he was; surely his mind was playing tricks on him, nowhere he had been looked this white...

"Alec?" came a distressed call from behind him, and he whipped around, reaching for his seraph blade, only to find he didn't have and weapons, and was clad in nothing but a t-shirt, jeans and sneakers. He edged forward with his hands balled into fists at his sides, squinting to try and find the owner of the voice, and it wasn't until an all too familiar figure walked out of the fog that he relaxed his hands in his shock,

"Max?!" his little brother's eyes widened just like Alec's at the sight of him, and Max looked hastily around him before approaching his brother,

"Alec-- what are you doing here?!" he seemed anxious, and Alec reached out to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Max backed away, his eyes wide.

"Max, it's me, it's okay--" Alec paused, as if he had only just registered Max's question "I don't know why I'm here-- where are we?" Max shook his head in disbelief, and Alec put the pieces together with an uncomfortable jolt of his stomach 

"Am I dead?" he saw Max looking at something over his shoulder, narrowing his little eyes,

"I don't think so," Max said slowly "you're not like me," at Alec's blank look, he continued "you haven't passed through yet-- did you get hurt?"

"Yeah," Alec said blankly "Ravenors-- tore me up-- Max, how do you know I'm not dead?" Max looked over his shoulder again,

"Because that's your world," he indicated with a flick of his head, and Alec turned to see what looked like a portal, the edges of the whiteness curling like clouds and fading into what looked like a window into the institute's infirmary.

"Wha-- how do I get back there?" Alec turned back to his brother, whose face had broken into a smile.

"Let's go find out," and with that, he grabbed Alec's hand, pulling him towards the window, stepping seamlessly through into the infirmary. 

The room was empty, save for one occupant in one bed, and with a lurch of his stomach Alec realized it was himself; this Alec was white as the sheets on the bed, an open gash on his chest seeping blood and the Angel knows what else - Alec had the sudden urge to cover Max's eyes - unconscious and oblivious to Isabelle calling his name. Jace was standing on his other side, his expression unreadable, but Alec could see unshed tears in his glistening eyes. Isabelle was getting more and more frantic, and Alec felt Max's anxious eyes on him as she cried, shaking him as tears streamed down her face. 

He pulled his brother into his side protectively as Clary hesitantly approached their sister, and it was as Isabelle let out what looked like a particularly strangled cry as she collapsed in Jace's embrace that Alec realized the world was eerily silent. His stomach writhed uncomfortably as he watched Jace clutch Isabelle to his chest, his hand on the back of her head protectively as she cried soundlessly. Alec heard a muffled bang then, and he and Max, along with everyone else turned to see Magnus enter the room.

He had clearly thought he was prepared, Alec realized with an ache in his chest, the way he had strode into the room with a determined look on his face, but the moment his eyes made contact with Alec's near lifeless form, his knees buckled under him and he found himself desperate to focus his now broken expression on Alec. Clary went over to him then, speaking silent words of comfort to him as she ushered him to the bed, and Alec saw Magnus shake his head slightly as if to clear it before nodding resolutely and taking a place beside the bed as the others moved away to give him space.

"Who's that?" Alec had almost forgotten Max was there, and he started briefly at the voice.

"That's Magnus Bane," he replied fondly "the High Warlock of Brooklyn," he took his eyes from Magnus then, clearing his throat slightly as he remembered he was talking to Max, who didn't know about them "mother must have sent him to heal me," he told his brother matter of factly before turning back to the scene; Magnus was working his magic on Alec now, blue flames coming from his hands and lapping at his injuries, and Alec noticed with a start that Magnus' eyes were glistening with tears as a few stray ones trickled down his cheeks.

"He's crying," Max pointed out and Alec, his dejected eyes still on Magnus, was dimly aware of surprise at his brother's perceptiveness "why is he crying? He's healing you," 

Alec watched Magnus' hands quiver as the warlock leapt back at the lurch his body just gave, another tear rolling down his cheek.

"Because he loves me," he replied quietly.

"He's your friend?" Max asked innocently.

"No Max," Alec tore his eyes away from the scene, unable to watch Magnus shaking his head to stop crying at the writhing of Alec's body "He's more than that. He and I love each other, like the way dad loves mom," Max was silent for a moment, apparently deep in thought, before shaking his head,

"Dad doesn't love mom anymore," he said "not really. But you really love Magnus, don't you?" Alec nodded, sniffing,

"Yeah. I do,"

"And he really loves you," Max gave his brother a warm smile, leaning into his side "I'm glad,"

"Thanks Max," Alec replied earnestly, hugging his brother close "Magnus would've loved you," he said almost wistfully as he turned back to the scene; Alec's body shuddered and laid down on the bed then, Magnus' shoulders heaving as he lowered his hands. 

Alec watched sadly as he said something inaudible to the others, giving them a teary smile and a nod as he spoke. He saw Jace nod in reply, offering the warlock a small smile as he stood up from where he was leaning against the wall. As he walked past he stopped by Magnus, giving him a reassuring grip on his shoulder, and Alec felt his heart skip a beat as Jace said something to him; if he hadn't known how Magnus and Alec felt about each other before, he definitely did now, and Alec found himself smiling as he watched his friend comfort the warlock, making a point to thank Jace if he ever got out of all this.

Isabelle followed their brother, stopping to speak to Magnus as he gripped her hand in both of his shaking ones, speaking earnestly to her, and Alec longed more than anything to hear what they were saying as he saw Clary stop by Magnus, putting a hand on his shoulder as he nodded gravely, bowing his head. Alec watched in confusion as the warlock turned to him, pulling his chair closer to the bed; why was everyone upset? Wasn't Magnus healing him? Magnus was most powerful warlock Alec knew, surely his magic hadn't...

He watched as Magnus gripped Alec's hand in his own, speaking almost pleadingly to him and kissing his hand as he felt a pain in his chest; he wanted more than anything to be there with him, to hear what he was saying and comfort him, to hold him in his arms and tell him everything was alright. It had to be...

Alec willed himself to wake up, staring at his unconscious form on the bed and begging it, just as Magnus was, to come back; it couldn't end like this, he couldn't be taken from Magnus like this... he focused on the words Magnus was saying, trying to understand something, anything, but the words were muffled in his ears,

"Alec?" he blinked out of his thoughts and looked down to see that Max was  
looking up at him, his little eyes piercing into Alec's own as he gripped his sleeve "You need to go back to them, they can't have you die," his voice was small but earnest, and Alec let out a sigh as he knelt down to Max's level,

"I wish you could come with me," he said, grasping Max's arm comfortingly.

"I know," Max wiped at a tear with his sleeve over his hand "but I can't. Magnus'll take care of you." he said reassuringly, and Alec let out a sigh; this wasn't how it was meant to be. Max wasn't supposed to be comforting him about death, or about anything! Alec was supposed to be the one who pulled his brother into a tight embrace and reassured him that everything was alright, just like he did when Max used to have nightmares, but everything was messed up now. Max was gone, and if Alec didn't make a decision, he was going to be as well. 

Sighing, he turned to see Magnus brushing the hair out of his eyes affectionately, still talking to him, but words were louder mumbles now, slowly becoming clearer,

"Thanks Max," Alec said, his own voice becoming foggy sounding as he pulled his brother into a hug, letting Max grip at the back of his t-shirt.

"Bye Alec," he sniffled as they broke apart, and Alec affectionately patted his head before taking a breath and standing up, focusing on trying to make out what Magnus was saying. 

He felt a pull then; he had expected it to come from his chest, pulling his soul back, but he felt his entire body subconsciously begin to move, as if pulled by some kind of magnet, and Alec began to let himself walk towards the whiteness, listening to Magnus' words,

"My Alexander... come back darling... please, Alexander..." the words were becoming crystal clear now, and Alec felt the cool touch of the sheet on his body and the heaviness of his eyelids as he returned. A warm hand came to caress his face then, and he leaned into the touch; he willed his eyes to open, but his lids were like lead, and he hoped it was enough,

"Alexander?" Magnus' voice broke as he asked, the hope in it breaking Alec's heart as he tried with all the strength he could muster to open his eyes. Magnus' face swam into his vision, the hope lighting up his features causing Alec to brave a smile, but it quickly became a grimace as all the pain of his injuries came to him at once like a ton of bricks dropped on his torso.

"Don't move, darling," Magnus said tearily, stroking the back of Alec's hand with his thumb "you've been through quite an ordeal, you'll be in pain for a while,

"I'm okay--" Alec tried to sit up, but he gritted his teeth and hissed out, as a searing pain went through his entire abdomen and right arm, so he settled for shuffling slightly so he could meet Magnus' eyes.

"You aren't, my love," Magnus told him gently "you almost died," there were more tears in his eyes, and Alec wished he had the strength to get up and wipe them away. He reluctantly settled for squeezing Magnus' hand, receiving a relieved one in return,

"But I didn't," Alec assured him "don't worry," Magnus let out a laugh then, short and shaky and breathy, the tears in his eyes threatening to fall,

"My Alexander," he said breathlessly "all I ever do is worry about you!" Magnus leaned over, careful not to touch Alec's injuries, and kissed his forehead as Alec blinked his eyes blissfully.

"Try to rest, my love, we can talk more in the morning," Alec opened his mouth to object, but his eyes began to drop, his hand limp in Magnus' own; he was right, as always, Alec was in desperate need of rest, and as much as he had wanted to stay awake with Magnus, unconsciousness had already begun to pull him under. 

He let out a yawn as his eyes slowly closed; he wasn't sure if it was the exhaustion or the warlock magic coursing through his bloodstream, but he could have sworn he saw Max over Magnus' shoulder, standing a little way away from them and smiling fondly.


End file.
